Means for securing door frame components

ABSTRACT

Apparatus is provided for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb rapidly and effectively. The apparatus operates to hold the casing piece and side jamb in door frame relation while causing the side jamb to be toenailed to the casing piece and the casing piece to be square nailed to the side jamb. The nailing is done by respective fastener forming and inserting means, at least one of which is uniquely arranged to actuate feeding of a fastener length of wire stock, forming of a fastener from the fed length, and insertion of the formed fastener, from the working stroke of a reciprocating plunger.

[451 June 27 1972 [54] MEANS FOR SECURING DOOR FRAME 3,008,143 ll/l96l Bagwelletal............................227/93 COMPONENTS Primary Examiner-Granville Y. Custer, Jr. [72] "Nemo" n5 ESmihAtama'Ga' mamey- Channing L. Richards, Damen U. sheft and Richards & Sheft Textron, Inc., Providence, RJ.

Dec. 28, 1970 [73] Assignee:

[22] Filed:

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SHEET u of a INVENTOR RQY E. SMITH ATTORNEYS MEANS FOR SECURING DOOR FRAME COMPONENTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Because most building structures, particularly residential buildings, contain more door than window openings, a good deal of door framing must be handled at construction sites, and as the door framing is ordinarily assembled prior to delivery to the site, there has heretofore been considerable difficulty encountered in avoiding damage to the assemblies during delivery and installation handling.

A prior an proposal directed in part to dealing with such difficulty is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,240, although the proposal there disclosed leaves the attachment of the casing pieces to the side jambs much weaker, and consequently more likely to form a focal point of damage, than is desirable.

The present invention makes it possible to attach casing pieces to side jambs in a particularly secure and serviceable manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention securing of a door frame casing piece to a side jamb is effected by holding the casing piece and side jamb in door frame relation, and, while holding the same, toenailing the former to the latter and square nailing the latter to the former. The square nailing combines with the toenailing to lock the components in secured relation and to add surprising strength against disarrangement of these components during handling of a door frame assembly in which they are employed.

The apparatus provided for securing the casing piece and side jamb components in this manner comprises means for cyclically clamping the components in door frame relation and respective fastener inserting and forming means arranged to do the toenailing and square nailing in timed relation to operation of the clamping means, so that the fastener insertion can be repeated rapidly at spaced intervals lengthwise of the components.

The fastener forming and inserting means employed are of the type by which fasteners are formed from a continuous length of wire fed from a coiled supply, and at least one of them incorporates simplified means for feeding the wire from the working stroke of a reciprocating plunger that also causes formation and insertion of the fasteners.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a length of assembled door frame casing piece and side jamb illustrating the manner of securing according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the apparatus, as would be seen from the right in FIG. 1, showing the door frame components supported in position for securing;

FIG. 4 is a corresponding side elevation showing the components being clamped and secured;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the clamping anvil structure; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional detail taken substantially at the line 6-6 in FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The general arrangement of apparatus for securing door frame components in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in FIG. l as comprising a base member 10 from which a pair of spaced side plates 12 and 14 rise to carry the various operating elements, so that the door frame components may be passed transversely through the side plates at about waist height on guideways 16 extending to each side sufficiently to support the components as they are fed for securing at spaced intervals and as they issue progressively at the other side of the apparatus after securing` The operating elements include a first fastener forming and inserting means 18 in which the operating head is of the same sort disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,112,056, except it is turned on its side to insert fasteners in a horizontal direction for the previously mentioned toenailing, and the wire supply reel 20 is mounted on the base member l0. A second fastener forming and inserting means 22 is arranged between the side plates 12 and I4 for the square nailing mentioned and has an operating head corresponding generally with that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,566,104, except that the actuating and wire feeding arrangement is different as will be noted further presently. The wire supply reel 24 is mounted at the outside face of the side plate 14 for the second fastener means, and an actuating treadle 26 is arranged adjacent the base member 10 for operating the securing means at selected intervals.

FIG. 2 illustrates the relative arrangement of a length of door frame casing piece C and side jamb S having the latter toenailed to the former by toenailed fasteners f' and the former adjacently square nailed to the latter by fasteners f at intervals of any desired spacing. As previously mentioned the combined toe and square nailing secures these components with exceptional strength and allows door frames to be assembled at particular advantage in this respect.

The disposition of the casing piece C and side jamb S for securing by the FIG. l apparatus is illustrated in FIG. 3 in which an angle piece 28, that is mounted across spaced wing plates 30 attached to and extending outwardly from the side plates 12 and 14 (compare FIGS. l and 3), is shown carrying a supporting block 32 and a backing block 34 on which the door frame components rest, with the casing piece C angled enough from horizontal for toenailing of the right angularly related side jamb thereto by the first fastener forming and inserting means 18, while the second fastener and inserting means 22 is oriented for the square nailing. The supporting block 32 is formed with a lip portion 32 along the edge thereof adjacent the backing block 34 to provide a locating stop by which the edge of the casing piece C that is to be secured is positioned to underlie the corresponding edge of the side jamb S in door frame relation. The angle piece 28, supporting block 32 and backing block 34 are all suitably apertured or notched to provide respective clearance for the operating disposition of the first and second fastener means 18 and 22.

In order to hold the door frame components for each nailing operation, a clamping means is provided that includes an anvil structure having a pair of plate members 36 shaped with right angularly related leg portions and assembled in spaced relation at each side of a shank 38 that has a contact nose 40 of right angular form installed at its lower end in alignment with the contour of the plate members ,36 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The anvil structure shank 38 is carried at the extending end of the piston rod of a fluid-actuated power cylinder 42 which is bolted in place with an adjustment plate 44 on a cross member 46 secured at the top of the side plates l2 and 14 at an inclination that aligns the anvil structure for bearing against the back faces of the door frame components when the power cylinder 42 is actuated.

In addition, the anvil structure includes a resiliently mounted foot member 48 that is biased by a backing spring 50 and slidably carried by a yoke structure 52 which is clamped on the front legs of the spaced plate members 36 between lug portions 54 and a clamp bar 56 at a location that will present the foot member 48 against the adjacent edge of the casing piece C to press the opposite edge thereof against the locating lip portion 32' of the supporting block 32 when the anvil structure is otherwise brought to bear at the back faces of the door frame components. As the anvil structure is disposed on the power cylinder 42 in symmetrical relation to the supported arrangement of the door frame components and the leg portions of plate members 36 are right angularly related, it will be seen that the foot member 48 is mounted to act on an axis of 45 to the operating axis of power cylinder 42.

The clamping means for holding the door frame components in place during securing further includes a second fluid-actuated power cylinder 58 that is fitted with a slide block 60 by which it may be set and clamped in place on an adjustment plate 62, that is secured between the frame side plates l2 and 14, to extend the piston rod 64 thereof for bearing at the opposing edge of the side jamb S to press the lower edge thereof against the underlying edge portion of the casing piece C during the securing operation. The disposition of this second power cylinder 58 is again aligned on an axis of 45 to that of the first power cylinder 42 so as to act in right angular relation to the previously noted foot member-48.

As mentioned earlier, the first fastener forming and inserting means 18 employs an operating head of the sort disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,1 12,056 which is turned on its side to operate horizontally for the toenailing operation. Otherwise, the fastener means incorporates an operating arrangement closely comparable to that of the indicated prior patent. The second fastener inserting and forming means 22, however, while corresponding generally with the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 2,566,104, is specially adapted in several respects for use according to the present invention. In the first place it is mounted between the frame side plates l2 and 14 solely on an eccentric shaft 66 that is joumaled in the side plates for setting at selected positions of rotation about its axis, as by a hand wheel as indicated at 68 in FIGS. 3 and 4, so that countersinking of the fasteners j" inserted can be adjusted to the extent desired.

Secondlythe fastener means 22 includes a fluid-actuated power cylinder 70 for operating it and an arrangement by which the working stroke actuated from this cylinder is caused to feed a fastener length of wire from the supply thereof as well as to form a fastener from the fed length and insert it. For this purpose, the power cylinder is installed on a carrier plate 72 that is attached in turn to a mounting block 74 for the operating head of the fastener means 22, the previously mentioned eccentric shaft 66 forming the support on which this mounting block 74 is carried to support the unit. The carrier plate 72 extends to dispose the power cylinder in operating alignment with the axis on which fasteners are inserted from the fastener means 22, and carrierpla'te 72 is apertured to allow extension of a piston rod 76 therethrough from the power cylinder 70 and to allow concentric disposition of a compression spring 78 therearound in bottorning relation at the adjacent face of power cylinder 70.

The spring 78 acts oppositely on a feed bar 80 that has a lateral Vportion assembled slidably o n the piston rod 76 and confined thereon by a lock nut 82 that also serves to fix the screw-threaded shank of a plunger 84 with a threaded bore (not shown) at the extendingend of. piston rod 76. The longitudinal leg of feed bar 80 reaches slidably into the operating head where it carries a lug 86 engaging a wire feed block 88 in the usual manner, so that whenever a working stroke of the piston rod 76 is initiated the first result is to release the feed bar 80 to the biasing pressure of spring 78 as the lock nut 82 moves away. Release of the feed bar 80 in this manner delivers the pressure of spring 78 through the feed bar lug 86 to advance the feed block 88 in the feeding direction and thereby draw a fastener length of wire from the supply being directed to the operating head through the guide 90 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The fastener length of wire thus advanced is directed into a fastener forming and inserting knife assembly 92 ernployed in the unit, and the continuing working stroke of the plunger 84 then causes shifting of the knife assembly 92 to cut the fed fastener length to form a fastener and position it in alignment with the plunger 84 for driving insertion in the manner ofthe previously noted U.S. Pat. No. 2,566,104.

The knife assembly 92 used in the second fastener means 22 is suitably. one of the sort arranged to form blunt ended fasteners f from 19 gauge wire, while the first fastener means 18 is preferably equipped to cut the wire supply diagonally for forming pointed fasteners f of gauge size. The first fastener means 18 is conveniently operated from an electric motor, while all of the other operating motions are actuated from the previously mentioned power cylinders, all of which are double acting. An operating cycle proceeds from depression of the foot treadle 26, after door frame components are put in place for securing, to actuate all of the power cylinders 42, 58 and 70, as well as engaging the motor drive for the first fastener means 18. The first two power cylinders 42 and 58 bring the clamping means to bearin the foregoing manner on the door frame components so` as to hold them locally against the toenailing and square nailing of the fasteners f and j while the third power cylinder 70, and the operating drive for the first fastener means 18, actuate the insertion of these fasteners in timed relation, the actual fastener insertion being delayed sufficiently to allow the clamping means to take hold first by the fact that driving of the fasteners does not take placeI until the latter portion of the working stroke of the respective driving plungers. The operating cycle is completed by recovery strokes that return the clamping means and fastener means to initial position for commencing a succeeding cycle as soon as the door frame components have been repositioned for further securingata suitable interval along their length.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise to exclude any variation or equivalent arrangement that would be apparent from, or reasonably suggested by, theforegoing disclosure to the skill of the art.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side .jamb comprising means for supporting said casing piece and side jamb at the front faces thereof with an edge portion of said casing piece underlying the edge of said side jamb at which it is to be secured, means for clamping said supported casing piece and side jamb locally in place through pressure applied at the back faces and remote edges thereof, a first fastener forming and inserting means disposed at said supporting means opposite said clamping means for toenailing said side jamb to said casing piece, a second fastener forming and inserting means disposed at said supporting means opposite said clamping means for adjacently square nailing said casing piece to said side jamb, and means for causing said clamping means and both of said fastener forming and inserting means to operate in timed relation.

2. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb as defined in claim l and further characterized in that said supporting means carries said casing piece and side jamb in right angular relation with said casing piece disposed nearer horizontal and the edge of the portion thereof underlying said side jamb abutting a locating stop, and in that said clamping means includes an anvil structure having a nose of right angular form with a resiliently positioned foot mounted on said structure to bear against the remote edge of said casing piece and press the opposite edge against said supporting means locating stop when the nose of said anvil structure is brought to bear at the back faces of said casing piece and side jamb.

3. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb as defined in claim 2 and further characterized in that said anvil structure is carried symmetrically at the extending end of the piston rod of a fluid-actuated power cylinder, said piston rod extending on an axis disposing said anvil structure nose portion in correspondence with the supported right angular relation of said casing piece and side jamb, said fluidactuated power cylinder being double-acting for alternatively extending said anvil structure to a clamping position and retracting the same to a releasing position, and said resiliently positioned foot being mounted to act on an axis at 45 to the axis of said piston rod.

4. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb as defined in claim 2 and further characterized in that said clamping means further includes a second fluid-actuated, double-acting, power cylinder mounted on an axis at 45 to the axis of said piston rod on which said anvil structure is carried, said second power cylinder having a piston rod extending therefrom in alignment with the supported position of said side jamb for bearing at the remote side jamb edge to press the opposite side jamb edge against the underlying edge portion of said casing piece and for releasing the same in timed relation to extension and retraction of saidanvil structure between clamping and releasing positions.

5. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb as definedl in claim 2 and further characterized in that said first fastener forming and inserting means is disposed to insert fasteners formed thereby on a horizontal axis, and in that said supporting means carries said casing piece and side jamb with the former disposed nearer horizontal at the angle required for said toenailing.

6. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb as dened in claim l and further characterized in that said second fastener forming and inserting means is mounted solely on an eccentric shaft that is carried for setting at selected positions of rotation about its axis to allow countersinking of fasteners inserted by said means to the extent desired.

7. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb as defined in claim 1 and further characterized in that said second fastener forming and inserting means includes fastener wire feeding means, a knife assembly shiftable between fastener wire receiving and fastener inserting positions, and a reciprocable plunger member operable during a working stroke to shift said knife assembly from fastener wire receiving position to form a fastener and move to fastener inserting position for penetration by a tip portion of said plunger member to drive the fastener formed, said fastener wire feeding means being actuated by a reciprocable feed bar member associated with said plunger member under a resilient bias, said feed bar member being released to said bias during the initial portion of said plunger member working stroke to actuate said feeding means for advancing a fastener length of wire into said knife assembly before shifting of the same, and said feed bar member being retracted against said bias by said plunger member during the recovery stroke of the same.

8. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb as defined in claim 7 and further characterized in that said second fastener forming and inserting means further includes a fluid-actuated, double-acting, power cylinder for operating the same, in that said plunger member is carried in axial alignment at the extending end of a piston rod extending from said power cylinder and is attached thereat so that a shoulder is formed at the piston rod extending end, and in that said feed bar member has a portion that is disposed, together with means imposing said resilient bias, freely about said piston rod above said shoulder with said feed bar portion and said shoulder being proportioned for abutment during the recovery stroke of said plunger and piston rod.

9. Fastener forming and inserting apparatus comprising fastener wire feeding means, a knife assembly shiftable between fastener wire receiving and fastener inserting positions, and a reciprocable plunger member operable during a working stroke to shift said knife assembly from fastener wire receiving position to form a fastener and move to fastener inserting position for penetration by a tip portion of said plunger member to drive the fastener formed, said fastener wire feeding means being actuated by a reciprocable feed bar member associated with said plunger member under a resilient bias, said feed bar member being released to said bias during the initial portion of said plunger member working stroke to actuate said feeding means for advancing a fastener length of wire into said knife assembly before shifting of the same, and said feed bar member being retracted against said bias by said plunger member during the recovery stroke of the same. 

1. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb comprising means for supporting said casing piece and side jamb at the front faces thereof with an edge portion of said casing piece underlying the edge of said side jamb at which it is to be secured, means for clamping said supported casing piece and side jamb locally in place through pressure applied at the back faces and remote edges thereof, a first fastener forming and inserting means disposed at said supporting means opposite said clamping means for toenailing said side jamb to said casing piece, a second fastener forming and inserting means disposed at said supporting means opposite said clamping means for adjacently square nailing said casing piece to said side jamb, and means for causing said clamping means and both of said fastener forming and inserting means to operate in timed relation.
 2. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb as defined in claim 1 and further characterized in that said supporting means carries said casing piece and side jamb in right angular relation with said casing piece disposed nearer horizontal and the edge of the portion thereof underlying said side jamb abutting a locating stop, and in that said clamping means includes an anvil structure having a nose of right angular form with a resiliently positioned foot mounted on said structure to bear against the remote edge of said casing piece and press the opposite edge against said supporting means locating stop when the nose of said anvil structure is brought to bear at the back faces of said casing piece and side jamb.
 3. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb as defined in claim 2 and further characterized in that said anvil structure is carried symmetrically at the extending end of the piston rod of a fluid-actuated power cylinder, said piston rod extending on an axis disposing said anvil structure nose portion in correspondence with the supported right angular relation of said casing piece and side jamb, said fluid-actuated power cylinder being double-acting for alternatively extending said anvil structure to a clamping position and retracting the same to a releasing position, and said resiliently positioned foot being mounted to act on an axis at 45* to the axis of said piston rod.
 4. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb as defined in claim 2 and further characterized in that said clamping means further includes a second fluid-actuated, double-acting, power cylinder mounted on an axis at 45* to the axis of said piston rod on which said anvil structure is carried, said second power cylinder having a piston rod extending therefrom in alignment with the supported position of said side jamb for bearing at the remote side jamb edge to press the opposite side jamb edge against the underlying edge portion of said casing piece and for releasing the same in timed relation to extension and retraction of said anvil structure between clamping and releasing positions.
 5. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb as defined in claim 2 and further characterized in that said first fastener forming and inserting means is disposed to insert fasteners formed thereby on a horizontal axis, and in that said supporting means carries said casing piece and side jamb with the former disposed nearer horizontal at the angle required for said toenailing.
 6. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb as defined in claim 1 and further characterized in that said second fastener forming and inserting means is mounted solely on an eccentric shaft that is carried for setting at selected positions of rotation about its axis to allow counter-sinking of fasteners inserted by said means to the extent desired.
 7. Apparatus for securing a door frame casing piece to a side jamb as defined in claim 1 and further characterized in that said second fastener forming and inserting means includes fastener wire feeding means, a knife assembly shiftable between fastener wire receiving and fastener inserting positions, and a reciprocable plunger member operable during a working stroke to shift said knife assembly from fastener wire receiving position to form a fastener and move to fastener inserting position for penetration by a tip portion of said plunger member to drive the fastener formed, said fastener wire feeding means being actuated by a reciprocable feed bar member associated with said plunger member under a resilient bias, said feed bar member being released to said bias during the initial portion of said plunger member working stroke to actuate said feeding means for advancing a fastener length of wire into said knife assembly before shifting of the same, and said feed bar member being retracted against said bias by said plunger member during the recovery stroke of the same.
 8. Apparatus for securing a door fraMe casing piece to a side jamb as defined in claim 7 and further characterized in that said second fastener forming and inserting means further includes a fluid-actuated, double-acting, power cylinder for operating the same, in that said plunger member is carried in axial alignment at the extending end of a piston rod extending from said power cylinder and is attached thereat so that a shoulder is formed at the piston rod extending end, and in that said feed bar member has a portion that is disposed, together with means imposing said resilient bias, freely about said piston rod above said shoulder with said feed bar portion and said shoulder being proportioned for abutment during the recovery stroke of said plunger and piston rod.
 9. Fastener forming and inserting apparatus comprising fastener wire feeding means, a knife assembly shiftable between fastener wire receiving and fastener inserting positions, and a reciprocable plunger member operable during a working stroke to shift said knife assembly from fastener wire receiving position to form a fastener and move to fastener inserting position for penetration by a tip portion of said plunger member to drive the fastener formed, said fastener wire feeding means being actuated by a reciprocable feed bar member associated with said plunger member under a resilient bias, said feed bar member being released to said bias during the initial portion of said plunger member working stroke to actuate said feeding means for advancing a fastener length of wire into said knife assembly before shifting of the same, and said feed bar member being retracted against said bias by said plunger member during the recovery stroke of the same. 